Declan Rice issue: ‘Really difficult’ Arsenal update after Man United loss
Declan Rice is one of a number of key players who have been out of form during a disappointing season for Arsenal says Stephen Warnock.
Arsenal were beaten on penalties by Manchester United after drawing 1-1 in the third round of the FA Cup.
Rice came off the bench for the Gunners in the 73rd minute but struggled to have an impact for his side.
The England international has been unable to find the form that caused Arsenal to spend a club-record £105million on the former West Ham player. [Sky Sports]
Having featured in the European Championships for his nation in the Summer, Rice is not the only player who has yet to find their form from last season after a busy footballing schedule.
Much has been made of Phil Foden’s difficult start to the season at Manchester City this season, whilst Bukayo Saka, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Luke Shaw have all spent time injured this season after playing in England’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the Final.
Speaking on The Football Show on Sky Sports News (10.22am) Warnock said: “I don’t care how good you are if you lose Saka and Odegaard for long periods of time. But I also think there has been an element where Declan Rice has struggled.
“I think a lot of players have struggled, not just at Arsenal, but throughout the leagues where they’ve come back from the Euros and they’ve found life really difficult to get back up to [full] steam and then it’s been a little bit too late for them.
“I think we’re seeing that with a lot of the Arsenal players that they’ve found it really difficult to find their form again. It has been a really tough season for them through injuries but a lot of clubs will look at it and say ‘yeah well we’ve been struck ourselves and we’ve found life difficult’.
“But especially when it’s Odegaard and Saka, they’re their key players,”
Arsenal crash out of FA Cup before the fourth round for the fifth season running
Football Insider opinion
Since winning the competition in 2019, Arsenal have been knocked out of the FA Cup in either the third, or fourth round five years running.
The match against United (12 December) represented an opportunity to show their strength against a struggling rival, but that was not to be.
The game was Arsenal’s for the taking after United full-back Diogo Dalot was shown a red card on the 61st minute.
Both Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz had chances to win the tie for the Gunners’ but the Norweigan saw his penalty in the 72nd minute saved by Altay Bayindir, and the German stunningly missed from close range, causing Arsenal fans to fume.
This season already feels very similar to the last few under Arteta, promising much whilst delivering little.
The Spaniard has been decisive in turning around the club’s fortune, but with the North London club faltering in the Premier League whilst rivals Manchester City go through their worst run of form under Pep Guardiola, this season feels like another missed opportunity to win their first Premier League title since 2004.
The former Arsenal captain Arteta drew the ire of fans after his complaints around the quality of the football used against Newcastle in their first-round Carabao Cup semi-final loss, and many have come to expect excuses, rather than answers when the result does not go Arsenal’s way.
In other news, Football Insider have received exlusive news from Mick Brown about the signing of a Bayern Munich star.
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